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Wednesday, April 3, 2013

(REVIEW) Home School Astronomy

If you have a child even remotely interested in astronomy, stop what you are doing right now and go purchase the awesome curriculum from Home School Astronomy.

We were privileged to receive an entire semester of courses on CD and have loved, loved learning more and more about the amazing universe(s) God has created. This Creation-based program is full of eye-popping graphics, wonderful facts, and great tactics for teaching!

Each PowerPoint presentation is interactive and informative, and just short enough to keep my 4th grader's attention very well. At the beginning, I was reading the text to her, thinking she would get overwhelmed with the terminology and subject matter, but by the third presentation, she was not waiting on me and was reading the entire thing on her own.

At the end of each presentation is an evaluation (test) that can be printed off for your students to take, or you may choose to allow them to do the test orally with you. We chose the latter, and Abbey rarely missed any of the questions. I was seriously amazed at the reading comprehension levels I was witnessing. Answers for each test are provided at the end of each presentation. On the website , you can find sample slides from each presentation, and you have the option to purchase one presentation at a time for $9.95, or to purchase an entire semester (all 13 presentations) for only $79.35, a savings of $50!You also have the option to purchase a CD or have the presentations immediately available via download.

This program is available for K - 4th grades and 5th - High School, andcan easily be adapted for both younger and older children. Cross curricular activities are provided for each presentation, so you can have older students really expand each lesson. Here is an example:

English:1. Select another area of our lives where old laws and rules lag far behind ourtechnology and write a persuasive essay expressing why the old rules areantiquated.2. Write a fictional news article proclaiming the discovery of a new planet. Describehow this new discovery contains all the elements necessary to consider it a newplanet.Public Speaking:1. Assess why you believe many people are upset that Pluto is not considered aplanet. Anticipate their arguments for why Pluto should still be classified a planet.Defend the basic concepts of what makes an object a planet therefore excludingPluto. Home School Astronomy even has an Astronomy Supplies page on their website that will answer almost any question you may have about purchasing a good telescope or binoculars for night sky viewing. As you probably have experienced, buying a cheap telescope is usually a waste of money. Save your money and make the investment in a better telescope. Your eyes and your children will thank you!

**For a limited time only, Home School Astronomy is hosting a telescope giveaway! Click here for details and let them know this blog sent you!

What I think: In case you can't tell, I absolutely love this breath-taking program. Why? Because my daughter, upon finding Orion in the night sky for the first time, squealed like a teenage girl at a Justin Bieber concert. And anyone and everyone who happens to stop by or be near her at night, is welcomed with a mini astronomy lesson from Abbey; pointing out all the constellations she can see in our small space of the world. I have learned right along with her. We are both visual learners and this program is made for us. What Abbey thinks: Her words: "It is so awesome! The pictures are the best I have ever seen in my entire life!" Again, I encourage you to visit Home School Astronomy today and explore and learn and purchase it for your classroom!

Disclaimer: I received this program in exchange for my honest and thorough review. I was not required to write a positive review. No other compensation was given.